08 August 2017

Society

Trump Forest

President Donald Trump’s name has been slapped on yet another organization. But unlike Trump Hotels, Trump Steaks and Trump Vodka, money invested in “Trump Forest” won’t land in his piggy bank.

In April, three environmental activists in New Zealand launched the global reforestation project in an effort to counteract negative effects caused by the Trump administration’s dismantling of Obama-era climate policy.

Dr. Daniel Price, Adrien Taylor and Jeff Willis, all in their 20s, said they felt compelled to act after Trump signed an executive order in March that essentially prioritized the fossil fuel industry over the environment.

“We wanted something tangible that people could do that would actually have a physical impact on what the U.S. government is doing,” Price, a climate scientist and glaciologist, told HuffPost.

Under the Trump administration, U.S. commitment to combating man-made global warming by reducing carbon emission has suffered major setbacks.

“[It’s a] systematic dismantling of U.S. climate policy at a time when it’s absolutely critical that we start accelerating our efforts on climate change,” Price said.

“The science is getting more and more alarming,” he added, referencing a new study released this week that found there’s almost no chance the Paris Agreement goals can be met. “It’s pretty worrying stuff.”

The goal is for “Trump Forest” to grow so large that it can offset additional carbon released into the atmosphere should the White House roll back the Clean Power Plan, legislation enacted under the Obama administration to combat global warming.

To hit that target, Price said over 110 billion trees, covering an area roughly the size of Kentucky, would need to be donated. It’s a lofty goal, Price said, but it’s not their only one.

Aside from planting trees, Price said he hoped individuals involved in the project would gain a greater understanding about climate change, one of the most pressing problems facing the planet.

“This is one part of the bigger picture,” he said. “We’re not going to get ahead of this problem if people don’t understand what it is.”
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